Related Posts:

The Chiefs have claimed the New Zealand conference title thanks to the Crusaders’ unimpressive 25 – 17 victory over the Hurricanes in Christchurch tonight. The game saw both teams scored three tries, and ultimately it was the accurate boot of Dan Carter that proved the difference between the sides in a tense clash. The Crusaders needed a bonus point win to retain a chance of overhauling the champions, who play the Blues tonight in the final Super 15 round. But the Crusaders were lucky enough to even win the match, let alone launch a bid for four tries, only nailing the victory with a 79th minute try.

The Crusaders seemed to have lost their mojo that they had against the Chiefs in the previous round and were constantly under pressure from the Hurricanes, who appeared determined to give their fans something to shout about giving the disappointing season they have had so far.

Rather than storming to the finish line as normally expected from the Crusaders, they were held in defence by the Hurricanes and seemed constrained by the pressure. This will add to the chance of seeing NZ captain, Ritchie McCaw make an early return to first class rugby, even if it is from the bench, to reignite their hope of gaining their first title since 2008.

One of the main highlights of the match for me was Savea’s classic ‘handoff’ on the mighty Crusaders tight head Owen Franks will be long remembered. The big test wing had a couple of handling lapses but his tremendous power took care of Franks with ease.